Emotions and Stress Flashcards
Emotions & Stress
this is the adaptive processes that maintain the body’s stability during times of stress & change
allostasis
Theories of Emotion
this theory attributes the experience of emotion to physiological arousal followed by assigning a cognitive label to that arousal
Schachter and Singer’s two-factor
A psychology undergraduate tells his roommate who’s depressed that, if he smiles more often, he’ll feel a lot better. The student’s suggestion is consistent with the predictions of which theory?
James-Lange
Emotions & Stress
damage to certain areas of the left (dominant) hemisphere are most likely to cause what type of reaction
a catastrophic reaction
* characterized by depression, anxiety, fear, & paranoia
Areas in the left (dominant) hemisphere mediate happiness and other positive emotions, and damage to these areas produces a “catastrophic reaction” that involves depression, anxiety, fear, and paranoia.
Theories of Emotion
defensive behavioral reactions VS a conscious feeling of fear according to LeDoux’s Two-System Theory
defensive behavioral reactions: the actions someone takes to cope with a perceived threat
a conscious feeling of fear: the subjective emotional experience that arises from the cognitive appraisal of a situation as dangerous
both stem from the individual’s interpretation of a situation as threatening; the key difference is that one is an action-based behavioral response to cope and the other is a subjective emotional experience resulting from cognitive approaisal
Theories of Emotion
secondary appraisal associated with Lazarus’s (1991) Cognitive Appraisal Theory involves…
considering coping options available for dealing with a stressful event
What are the 5 theories of emotion?
1) James-Lange Theory
2) Cannon-Bard Theory
3) Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory
4) Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory
5) LeDoux’s Two-System Theory
Theories of Emotion
James-Lange Theory proposes…
emotions (e.g., fear) are the result of (how our brain interprets) physiological response to external stimuli (e.g., threat);
Theories of Emotion
explain the facial feedback hypothesis
smiling when feeling depressed
- a facial expressions can activate & regulate emotions by causing physiological changes consistent with the emotion
the expression on your face can influence how you feel
Theories of Emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
1. assumptions
2. brain areas involved
- when you encounter a scary situation, you feel the emotion (e.g., fear) and experience physical changes (e.g., racing heart) at the exact same time
-
brain areas:
thalamus sends simultaneous signals to
a) the cerebral cortex
b) the sympathetic nervous system
primary difference between James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories
Cannon-Bard views all emotions as involving similar physiological arousal = differences in emotional reactions CANNOT be attributed to differences in the nature of physiological arousal
James-Lange proposed that different emotional reactions result from how our brain interprets physiological arousal, which differs based on external stimuli
Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory (aka cognitive arousal theory) proposes…
emotions are the result of 2 factors: physiological arousal & cognitive processes (“cognitive labeling”)
Theories of Emotion
primary difference between Cannon-Bard Theory VS Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory
Cannon-Bard Theory: physiological arousal and emotional experience happen simultaneously
Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory: physiological arousal occurs first, then cognitive interpretation of the situation occurs & determines the specific emotion felt
**simultaneous experience of physical & emotional responses VS experiencing physical response before labeling the emotion **
Theories of Emotion
describe Schachter and Singer’s research, the “epinephrine studies” and define misattribution of arousal
study
* looked to the environment to determine what specific emotions subjects experiencing unexplained arousal were experiencing
findings
* misattribution of arousal: the tendency to mislabel arousal when its cause is unknown or ambiguous; the cognitive process of mistakenly attributing the source of arousal to something unrelated
studies on two-factor theory led to this theory developed by Zillman (1971), which is often erroneously described as being synonymous with misattribution of arousal
excitation transfer theory
Theories of Emotion
explain Zillman’s Excitation Transfer Theory
“borrowed” arousal from one situation can amplify your reaction to another
physical arousal elicited by one event can be transferred to and intensify arousal elicited by a later unrelated event
Theories of Emotion
list the 2 assumptions of Zillman’s Excitation Transfer Theory
1) physical arousal associated with emotions decays slowly and can continue for some time following the event that elicited arousal
2) residual arousal caused by one event can intensify arousal caused by a subsequent unrelated event
the transfer of physiological arousal from one event to another
Theories of Emotion
list the 2 assumptions of Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory
- how you feel about a situation depends on how you mentally interpret it
- emotions are not caused by the event itself, but by your personal interpretation of the event, which takes into consideration your past experiences & beliefs
example: two people can experience the same event and respond with different emotions bc they apprais (i.e., interpret) the situation differently
Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory assumes which of the following
a) physiological arousal follows cognitive appraisal
b) physiological arousal precedes cognitive appraisal
c) physiological arousal occurs along with cognitive appraisal
d) physiological arousal does not occur, only cognitive appraisal
a) physiological arousal follows cognitive appraisal
Theories of Emotion
list the 3 types of appraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory
1) primary
2) secondary
3) reappraisal
primary appraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory involves…
evaluating an event to determine if it’s irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful
stressful events = threat, challenge, or harm/loss
Theories of Emotion
this type of appraisal in Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory is affected by beliefs, values, motivation, & expectations
primary appraisal
delete
Theories of Emotion
this term refers to monitoring a stressful situation & changing the primary and/or secondary appraisal as appropriate and is associated with which theory of emotion
reappraisal; Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory
which theory of emotion focuses on fear
LeDoux’s Two-System Theory
LeDoux’s Two-System Theory proposes that physiological, behavioral, and feeling aspects of fear make up what “system” and that this “system” is mediated by what region(s) of the brain
“fear system;” subcortical
list the 2 separate but interacting systems, their roles, & associated brain areas according to LeDoux’s Two-System Theory
1) subcortical system (i.e., amygdala; “survival system;” “low road”) reacts quickly and automatically to threatening sensory info
2) cortical system (i.e., visual, prefrontal, & parietal cortexes; “conscious emotional system;” “high road”) processes info from senses, subcortical system, and episodic & semantic memory using cognitive processes (e.g., attention, working memory, and decision-making) and generates conscious feeling of fear when feeling is warranted and threat is real
Theories of Emotion
list the brain areas that makeup the Papez circuit
Play cricket MAtCh
Mamillary bodies
Anterior thalamic nucleus (i.e.,
Thalamus)
Cingulate gyrus
Hippocampus
Theories of Emotion
subsequent research on the brain mechanisms that mediate emotion found that memory & emotion are involved in this brain network
Papez Circuit
James-Lange theory replaces the idea that “we run because we’re afraid” with the idea that “we’re afraid because we run.”
we perceive a stimulus, we respond to the stimulus with arousal and behavior, and we then experience an emotion as we become aware of our bodily reactions.
